(91), speaking by covering mouth (97), be attentive (94, 41), using the same nice tone with elders and inferiors (80), never despise food offered and self-boast about rituals performed(88) and not use prolonged abuse of wife (80). One should feed everyone during marriages, festivals and parental rituals (48); greet everyone heartily (31), never walk between Brahmins or deities, or between lamps and persons (31, 36). The way of dressing, speaking and reprimanding reveals the nature of a person (49) and the necessity of being modest is highlighted in 71. Taboos Twenty nine stanzas detail various taboos that throw superstition of the time. Verses 5-8 deal with (pollution) that arises from urination, excretion, sexual contact, saliva, looking at an untouchable, but broadly misses the birth and death time pollutions. While bathing one must now swim, spit into water (14, 35, 36) and one should not see his reflection in water, scratch ground (13), not wear others' soiled slippers or clothes (12, 36), wear two garments while coming out of bath with one garment (11), not sleep opposite to door step (22, 45), nor facing north or midway point (30), use of both hands while providing drinks to elders (28), extinguish fire with water during the day (33), bow towards one sneezes (31), spitting or passing motion in various places (32), not to excrete facing south during the day or north during night (33), not pass motions imagining one is facing all ten directions (34). Caste Treatise The notion of untouchability seems to have emerged in the Sangam period itself with references from the work indicating water touched by pulaiyar being considered unfit for consumption of higher caste. Pulaiyars are referred as meat eaters (since "pulai" means "meat"). Criticism The presence of this work in the Sangam literature is debated as the period of compilation is found to be in the late 8th century. There is heavy dosage of Brahminical influence in verses 2, 5, 15, 31, 34, 41, 47, 48, 61, 64 and 92. There is heavy influence of Sanskrit literature in the style of the work. Notes References Mudaliyar, Singaravelu A., Apithana Cintamani, An encyclopaedia of Tamil Literature, (1931) - Reprinted by Asian Educational Services, New Delhi (1983) . . External links Tamil language Sangam literature Tamil Hindu literature Ancient Indian poems